Business owners, poets and shoppers follow their routines in Kyiv, capital of Ukraine despite a possible Russian invasion.
Regarded as an imminent threat by some Western governments, poet Mykola Kulinich says that a Russian invasion is only one aspect of the political situation “as painted by the media.”
Kulinich told Reuters on Tuesday (January 25) in the ‘Barman Dictat’, a classic in Kyiv nightlife, that remaining calm is the most important for Ukrainians.
“The war has been going on for a long time, and we believe in the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” the poet added.
Tata Kepler, the owner of the bar, always keeps in mind the service of the Armed Forces for Ukraine.
“They send us empty ammunition cartridges in big boxes, and this is their way to thank us. We make ash-trays out of them to remember the last 8 years, that the war hasn’t stopped.”
Supermarkets in Kyiv told Reuters that they don’t observe a change in shopping routines among their customers.
Pensioner Valentyna Patriyivna said she sticks to her usual shopping trip and sees no need to panic.
The U.S. embassy has urged American citizens in Ukraine to consider departing as soon as they can on Wednesday afternoon (January 26).
On the embassy’s official website, it says that the security situation in the country was “unpredictable due to the increased threat of Russian military action.”
(Production: Sergiy Rozov, Felix Hoske, Sergiy Karazy)